


the empress reversed

by galaxyeyedrops



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2019-06-13 10:08:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15362172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galaxyeyedrops/pseuds/galaxyeyedrops
Summary: Morgana and Ryuji talk through their problems early on. Not everyone benefits from this.(aka the haru okumura as an antagonist fic. important characters will be added as they appear.)





	the empress reversed

**Author's Note:**

> i just want my girl to be messy y'know?

Ren loves his friends. It's not something new nor anything he's been consciously denying. It's a fact. One he's been aware of since Ryuji, when confronted with death, looked it straight in the eye, and told Ren to run.

The sky is blue. There are twenty four hours in a day. And Ren, in turn, would die for these people.

He's got a pretty good relationship with the others to boot. He goes out for ramen with Ryuji; hits up bakeries with Ann; shares idle evenings at LeBlanc with Yusuke; and cuddles up with Morgana as he turns in for the night.

The problem is that while everyone else clearly cares for each other, sometimes they don't get along. Case in point, Morgana and Ryuji.

Their animosity was obvious since their first meeting at Kamoshida's Palace and has only grown uglier over time.

Ren understands where its coming from, of course. He's heard Ryuji confess his insecurities to him as they watched the track team practice. He's knows how Morgana's prideful demeanor can only hide so much.

He's sick of it. He's tired. And most of all, he's afraid.

 

Is it hypocritical for him to talk about their worries on how much they contribute are meaningless? When he, with the title of leader and an arsenal of masks, never had that problem? Isn't he awful for saying nothing before?

He's all about risks, been taking them one after another. But this is something he doesn't want to ruin, no matter what.

Ren calls up the others—Ann, whom he can always be honest with, and Yusuke, whom he trusts not to mince words. "You've probably noticed too," he starts before proceeding to spill.

Yusuke drums his fingers against the table. "It is indeed a problem," he agrees. "I could say something if you wish?"

Ann shakes her head. "I don't think that's going to work out," she says. "It's probably best if they hear it from Ren."

She curls a finger through her hair, twisting a pigtail. The tilt of her head is slight. "They really look up to you, you know?"

He knows.

Ren sighs. He knows.

 

The ensuing conversation isn't easy. Both Morgana and Ryuji are defensive, and tiptoeing the line between _we need this to stop_ and _this is holding us all back_ is quickly becoming one of Ren's greatest acrobatic feats.

In the end, Ann is right—and with a few special team building mementos runs, they start to make steps themselves.

The insults after Makoto joins their team are minimal. And when Futaba replaces Morgana as their navigator, Ryuji points to him with a smile, tells Futaba she's got a pretty good senpai looking after her.

 

That isn't to say they're all on the same page about everything (Ren is glad about this, the concept of a hivemind would be terrifying), and in recent events, the decision to steal Okumura's heart is one of those where they differ.

While Morgana and Ryuji are both gung-ho about it, the other members of the team are far more wary.

 

"We know too little about this man," Yusuke says. He rests his chin in his hands, forehead scrunched up in worry. "And the fact he shot up so fast in the rankings is concerning."

Next to him, Ann nods. "I think so too," she says. "This whole thing is giving me pretty bad vibes."

"But—" Ryuji tries to interrupt, argue for the sake of the voters, but Ren holds up a hand to stop him. "Maybe we should think about this a bit?" he suggests. "Figure out what we're going to do after we look into Okumura more?"

He looks to Makoto, a baton pass of sorts, and she follows up admirably. "I agree," she says. "We can meet up again with our findings on Friday. Is that alright with everyone?"

Everyone agrees, some more reluctant than others, but it's an agreement all the same. They shuffle out silently, deep in thought—leaving only Morgana, Futaba, and himself in the attic.

 

Ren bites his lip, takes a step closer to their newest member. "You alright?"

Futaba's gaze is low. She grips her legs tightly, skin turning paler at the point of contact. Ren waits as she takes a moment to breathe, following it up with a nod. "I just didn't expect us to get a lead that fast…."

"A bit too much?"

She laughs, breath threatening to hitch into a sob. "Yeah." Her fingers dig deeper, enough to bruise. "Maybe Inari's right. Maybe this is way too good to be true."

Ren takes yet another step closer, and then another. He sits down on the bed, right next to Futaba. "I can't say for sure but," he adjusts his glasses, smile devious. "I heard the Phantom Thieves have a new hacker. A really good one, too."

Futaba turns to him, her eyes are red, but a smile threatens to break out on her face as well. "I've been level grinding," she offers.

 

* * *

 

 

Makoto gathers up her papers with a sigh. While fun, the second year school trip ran ever so slightly over budget. She made preparations for such an incident beforehand—made sure there was an emergency fund for anything that came up.

And so, the trip, itself, ran fairly smoothly. But now it was her responsibility as Student Council President to hash out the details and make sure every single yen was accounted for. The other members of the Student Council did help out, but Makoto sent them home early, citing the fact that as a chaperone, she was already keeping an eye on things.

She places everything in a folder, meticulously ordered, double checking if the filing cabinet she's got is the right one before locking it all up inside.

 

The school is fairly empty, the distant shouts from the sports clubs the only thing permeating the silence. And as she steps outside, she's met with the sight of girl—third year, pretty—watering the plants outside. Her hair is wavy and voluminous, forming a halo around her head.

She is quick to notice Makoto, setting her watering can down as she approaches.

"Miss President?" she asks. "Do you need something from me?"

Makoto shakes her head. "No, I was just curious.Only club members are normally here around this time."

Haru turns back to the plants, drawing Makoto's attention to something in the soil. "It's getting hotter," she explains. "And I didn't want anything bad to happen to them."

Makoto follows her fingers, leaning forwards to get a better look. There are withered leaves, roughly pruned, scattered amongst the dirt.

**Author's Note:**

> please kudos and comment if you liked!


End file.
